


Dashing Through the Snow

by WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks



Category: Jane the Virgin (TV)
Genre: Accidental Pet Adoption, Christmas AU, Dashing Through the Snow AU, F/F, Fluff, Ice Skating, Merry Late Christmas, Road Trip, SO MUCH FLUFF, Snow, Very Long One-Shot, mistletoe kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 10:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5582161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks/pseuds/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the Hallmark Christmas movie: "Dashing Through the Snow"</p>
<p>Luisa's flight to Seattle is oversold and as she tries to rent a car, the last available one is taken from her by an obnoxious redhead. Luckily, they both have to go up to Seattle and an accidental road trip ensues. The two women have very different opinions on basically everything, but will the magic of Christmas be enough to bring them closer together?</p>
<p>(A belated Christmas Fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dashing Through the Snow

**Author's Note:**

> I thought the premises would work well for a little (actually very long) Roisa Christmas AU. If you've seen the movie, you'll see I have taken some liberties with the plot, but I just wanted them to be happy in this AU, so no suspected terrorism. 
> 
> Enjoy this late Christmas fic (it turned out longer than planned, but I don't think you all will object to that.)

Luisa sighed as she typed her name into the self-check-in machine once again. And once again, it told her her name wasn’t in the system and that she should ask at the counter.

‘I can’t _go_ to the counter you stupid machine! My flight will have left before I even get to the front of the line!’ she grumbled, giving the machine a death stare. As it was a machine, it didn’t respond to her threatening looks, it just displayed the same message over and over, mocking her.

‘Fine,’ she sighed angrily, picking up her suitcase and stomping over to the service desk. She needed to be in Seattle for Christmas. She had finally convinced her family to celebrate Christmas in a place where there was actual snow, and now it seemed she wasn’t going to be able to make it herself. The weather had gotten increasingly bad, and soon all planes would be grounded and she would have no way to get to Seattle.

Luisa sighed as the queue didn’t move an inch while the hands of the clock kept steadily moving towards her departure time. When she finally got to the front of the line, there were only ten minutes left before her plane was supposed to take off.

Luisa slammed her passport down on the counter, smiling tensely at the woman on the other side. ‘Hi, I’m Luisa Alver, I booked a seat on the 11:30 flight to Seattle, but your check-in machines say there’s a problem?’ she said, trying to keep the irritation off her face. The check-in assistant looked frazzled and tired, probably from the constant yelling she endured. And Luisa didn’t want to make her day even worse by being a terrible customer. Even if she did have every right to be annoyed, especially after what the assistant said next.

‘I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Alver. It seems the plane was oversold. There is no place for you on board.’

‘It’s _Miss_ Alver,’ Luisa corrected politely. ‘and it will probably be Miss forever if this country doesn’t get its head out of its ass. And what do you mean there is no place for me on board? I booked a ticket, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, you did. But sometimes the airline sells more tickets than they have seats because last-minute cancellations. I am afraid that isn’t the case here. I can get you a refund and book you a seat on the next plane to Seattle if you want.’ the woman said timidly, afraid she was going to get yelled at.

Luisa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. ‘When would the next flight leave?’ Luisa asked, smiling tiredly at the woman, who looked relieved she wasn’t being screamed at for things outside of her control.

‘Well, there is a snowstorm coming, so most flights have been grounded. I am afraid there won’t be another plane leaving from here until after Christmas,’ she said, looking sadly at Luisa. ‘I’m terribly sorry.’

‘That’s okay, it’s not your fault. Do you have any idea what I could do to get up to Seattle? It’s important that I be there before Christmas.’

‘You could try and rent a car. But with all the cancelled flights, there won’t be many left. But maybe you get lucky,’ she smiled, seemingly sincere.

‘Well, thank you for everything,’ Luisa smiled. ‘Have a merry Christmas.’

‘You too, Miss Alver,’ the woman said before moving on to the next dissatisfied customer.

* * *

Luisa walked past all the car rentals the airport had, only ever seeing the “closed” and “out of cars” signs. She started to feel hopeless until she encountered a queue standing in front of the last open car rental service in the entire airport. She stood in line, checking her phone for messages, hoping there would still be a car left when she got to the front of the queue.

The rental agent behind the counter was a sullen teenager, who looked like he wanted to set the Santa hat he was wearing on fire. He looked up at Luisa with a bored expression but didn’t say anything.

‘Hi, I would like to rent anything you have with an engine and four wheels,’ Luisa smiled, trying to not let the kid’s attitude affect her own mood.

‘It’s Christmas. All flights have been grounded until further notice. I have one car left,’ the boy said, his face dripping with apathy.

‘I’ll take it,’ a woman said, pushing past Luisa, sliding a fifty towards the boy in the Santa hat.

It was the first time Luisa had seen him look remotely interested in anything. He picked up the bill and put it in his pocket. ‘License and credit card please,’ the boy asked the woman.

‘Excuse me,’ Luisa said, staring at the redheaded woman who had just stolen the last car from under her nose. ‘But that was my car. I was here first. I need it to get to Seattle.’

‘Well, I need it to get to Seattle too. My flight was just cancelled and I need to get home. Just rent another car.’

‘I can’t, this is the last one,’ Luisa said, feeling her calm, polite exterior beginning to slip. This woman looked even younger than she was, and she was _not_ going to give up this car.

The redheaded looked her up and down before sighing loudly. ‘I guess since we are both going to Seattle, we can share the car.’

‘I’m not going to share a car with you!  I don’t know anything about you! You could be an axe murderer for all I know,’ Luisa said, taken aback by the other woman’s forwardness. And that never happened.

‘Do I look like an axe murderer?’ the woman asked, amusement making her blue eyes sparkle.

Luisa narrowed her eyes, the woman was incredibly beautiful and didn’t look like the stereotype for an axe murderer at all. ‘You _did_ just bribe someone,’ Luisa said, staring defiantly up at the woman, who was much taller than she even without the high heeled boots she was wearing.

The redhead laughed, a rich and melodic sound. ‘Do you want to get to Seattle or not? Because this is the only way you’re going to get there. I’ll even pay for the car if you pay for the gas.’ she said, taking the keys from the boy behind the counter, jingling them in front of Luisa’s face.

Luisa thought about it for a moment, she knew it was probably a bad idea to get into a car with a stranger. Especially as Seattle was a 19 hour drive from here and the weather was getting increasingly worse. But she really did need to get to Seattle before Christmas.

‘Okay, on one condition. You let me call your mother.’

‘You want to call my mother? Why?’ the woman said, looking genuinely confused.

‘To verify if you are an axe murderer or not. Your mother would know,’ Luisa smiled, waiting for her answer.

‘Okay,’ the woman said slowly, taking her cell phone from her pocket, dialing a number before she handed it to Luisa.

Luisa smiled. ‘Hello Mrs.…’

‘Evans,’ the woman supplied helpfully, looking at her with an amused expression.

‘Evans. I’m Luisa Alver, I’m here with your daughter and wanted to ask you a question. Do you think it’s safe for me to share a car with her?’

The woman laughed, shaking her head.

‘No, I’m not. Ah, I see. Yes I will tell her that. Thank you so much. Yes, a merry Christmas to you too.’

‘So, what did she say?’ the woman asked, taking her phone back.

‘That I should be perfectly safe and that you should come home for the holidays. Who doesn’t go home for the holidays?’ Luisa questioned.

‘I don’t. I’m Rose by the way. Although I am sure my mother told you that.’ Rose said, extending her hand.

‘I’m Luisa. Now let’s go, we have a long drive ahead of us,’ Luisa said, shaking Rose’s hand, trying to not notice the long and supple fingers. Rose’s mother had immediately inquired if she was Rose’s girlfriend, which didn’t bode well for the overwhelming feelings of attraction she was already feeling towards the gorgeous redhead. She was used to crushing hard on straight girls. The fact that there was the possibility her feelings might be returned made it that much harder to ignore them.

Rose smiled, picking up her own suitcase and walking after Luisa onto the parking lot. There was a thin layer of snow already covering the tarmac, and Luisa loved it. Growing up in Miami meant there wasn’t a lot of snow involved, and she didn’t care how inconvenient it was, she wanted to enjoy it.

‘It actually _is_ the last car in the parking lot,’ Rose noted, staring at the vast expanse of empty, snow-filled parking spaces and the single car in front of them. She clicked the unlock button on the remote and popped open the trunk so they could get rid of their luggage.

Luisa stowed in her suitcase and disappeared towards the passenger seat carrying only her bag. Rose appeared next to her a few seconds later.

‘So I take it I’m driving?’ Rose said, checking out the car’s dashboard.

‘It’s _your_ car. And this way I can knit.’

‘You can knit?’ Rose asked, starting the car.

‘Yes, well, I am not very good. But it’s therapeutic,’ Luisa said, not wanting to give too much away to an attractive stranger, as she did have the tendency to overshare. ‘I try,’ she said, leaning over the center console to switch on the radio. She changed the channels until she found one that advertised 24-hour non-stop Christmas music.

‘Ugh, do we have to listen to that?’ Rose groaned as a children’s choir sung ‘Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer’.

‘Yes, it’s nearly Christmas and it is cheerful. Everybody likes Christmas music.’

‘Well, I don’t,’  Rose said, turning the radio off.

‘Hey!’ Luisa said. ‘I was listening to that. And you already stole this car from me, so you better grin and bear it,’ Luisa said defiantly, switching the radio back on, watching Rose carefully to see what she would do.

Rose sighed but kept her hands on the steering wheel, much to Luisa’s surprise, she hadn’t thought the infuriating woman would give up this easy. She was kind of disappointed really.

‘Who doesn’t like Christmas music anyway?’ Luisa said, staring at Rose from the corner of her eye.

‘I don’t like Christmas, its terrible music included,’ Rose said, not taking her eyes off the road.

Luisa actually gasped. ‘Who doesn’t like _Christmas_. Unless you’re Jewish or something. You aren’t Jewish right? No, your mother asked if you changed your mind about coming home for Christmas. Why do you hate joy?’

‘I do not hate _joy_ , I just think Christmas is an excuse for people to make money. You buy a tree, you buy lights, you buy gifts no one actually wants. It’s ridiculous.’

‘You really do hate joy,’ Luisa stated, turning the volume up a little louder in an effort to convince Rose Christmas was actually fun. ‘It isn’t about the gifts, it’s about family and being together and stuff like that. Or baby Jesus if you’re religious. It is not about the money,’ Luisa said. ‘So if you’re not celebrating Christmas, why do you need to be home for Christmas?’ Luisa asked, taking off her gloves now the car was finally warming up. She may enjoy the snow, she just wasn’t really used to the cold.

‘Because I am working Christmas day,’ Rose said.

‘What?! Your mother invites you to Christmas dinner and you decide to work instead? I am sharing a car with the Grinch,’ Luisa muttered, but somehow Rose overheard it anyway, loud caroling or not.

‘I am not the Grinch. I don’t want to ruin _your_ Christmas, which is why I took you with me in the first place. I just don’t really care for it myself.’

‘What happened to you to make you this way?’ Luisa joked, smiling faux-sympathetically at Rose.

‘Nothing happened. And that is exactly the point. I don’t get swept up in the Christmas magic like everyone else does. But if it is so important to you, why are you going all the way up to Seattle?’

‘My family and I are celebrating there. I wanted to celebrate Christmas in a place where there was actual snow for a change.’

‘Where are you from that there’s no snow?’ Rose asked, looking over at Luisa.

‘Miami. Not a lot of snow there.’

‘Miami, wow. You literally decided to celebrate Christmas as far away from home as you could get.’

‘Great isn’t it?’ Luisa smiled. ‘I love the snow.’

Rose laughed. ‘It’s obvious that you’ve never seen it before, because driving through the snow every day gets annoying real fast.’

‘You are sucking the fun out of everything with your harsh realism. I bet you never believed in Santa either,’ Luisa said, crossing her arms and staring challengingly at Rose until she turned her head to look at her.

‘I didn’t. It makes no sense. Why would an old man in a red suit stuff free gifts down our chimneys? And don’t even get me started on the reindeer-powered flying sled. No, I never believed in Santa.’

Luisa’s mouth was hanging open at all this blatant disregard for the spirit of Christmas and overall fun. ‘You are impossible and I feel sad for you. What kind of job makes you work on Christmas anyway?’

‘I’m a criminal defense attorney. And believe it or not, people pull more stupid shit during your precious Christmas than any other day of the year.’

‘Ahh, a lawyer. Now I understand you’re general aversion to all things fun and nice,’ Luisa smirked.

Rose didn’t dignify the taunt with a response. ‘And what do you do when you are not obsessing over Christmas. Although I am sure you start doing that in October.’

‘No, October is for Halloween, I start preparing for Christmas November First,’ Luisa smiled. ‘And I am an OB/GYN.’

‘Aren’t you a little young to be a doctor?’ Rose asking, looking at her questioningly.

‘I’m 28 and yes, that is a little young for a doctor,’ Luisa said proudly. ‘Aren’t you a little young to be a lawyer?’ Luisa teased.

‘I’m 27 and that is a very normal age for a lawyer.’

‘I just wanted to know how old you were,’ Luisa smiled, tapping along rhythmically to ‘Let it Snow’. ‘So now we are getting to know each other a bit better, do you have any siblings? Your mother didn’t mention any.’

‘You spoke to my mother for all of four seconds, how much could she possibly have told you? But yes, I have a little sister. Denise, she and her husband will be at our parents’ house for Christmas. You’d like her, she _loves_ Christmas,' Rose said, and Luisa was certain she had just rolled her eyes.

‘So, is there anyone you’re going home to?’ Luisa said, staring at her hands. She had no idea why, but she was very attracted to the infuriating woman next to her. It was stupid anyway, as they had nothing in common and they wouldn’t see each other again after this was all over. But she was, and she wanted to know if Rose was actually single like her mother had made it seem.

‘No, just me. What about you? Anyone special waiting for you with your family up in Seattle?’

‘No, my last girlfriend dumped me like a month ago. So it will just be my brother, whatever woman he decides to bring along, my father and the woman who will probably be my newest stepmother,’ Luisa sighed.

‘I’m sorry. About your girlfriend,’ Rose said sincerely. ‘And your family sounds like fun. Denise married right out of high school and I have been single most of my life. My parents are still together, so no drama there.’

‘How come you are single? You’re a beautiful lawyer! People should be falling for you left and right,’ Luisa said, realizing too late she had called Rose beautiful out loud.

‘You think I’m beautiful?’ Rose teased, the corners of her mouth curling up.

‘From a purely aesthetic view-point, yes, you are,’ Luisa said, hiding her blush by rummaging through her purse.

‘So I am aesthetically pleasing? That’s nice to know,’ Rose smiled.

‘Yeah, well, whatever,’ Luisa muttered, searching through her purse for her chapstick. ‘No, where is it?’ she sighed.

‘What are you looking for?’ Rose said, an amused smile still playing around her lips as she looked between Luisa and the road.

‘My chapstick. I can’t go on a road trip without my chapstick,’ Luisa said, still frantically searching for the missing chapstick.

‘It’s just chapstick. You can use mine if you get really desperate,’ Rose said.

‘Ew, no,’ Luisa said, her blush deepening. ‘That thing touches your lips and you are still a stranger, who knows what kind of strange bacteria you carry? No thank you, there’s a gas station up ahead, we can buy one there,’ she said, putting her bag down and staring out the window. She already had trouble keeping her eyes off Rose’s lips and if she knew what they tasted like, she was certain she couldn’t stop herself from just reaching out and kissing the redhead.

‘You really want to stop and get chapstick?’ Rose questioned.

‘Yes, we can also get snacks, we’ll be on the road for a long time. It’s a win-win really,’ Luisa said, and Rose just sighed as she pulled into the gas station’s parking lot.

* * *

They wandered through the little shop, Luisa picking a new chapstick and trying to decided what kind of snacks she wanted.

Rose bumped into her and threw another chapstick in her basket. ‘In case you lose your new one,’ she smiled.

Luisa fought the urge to stick her tongue out, almost losing to her impulses but then she spotted something perfect for revenge. She picked it up, making sure Rose didn’t see and put it into her basket, moving over to the food section to pick up some snacks she was sure Rose would hate.

She got to the car before Rose, but as Rose had the keys, she had to wait out in the cold for her to return. And it was _really_ cold. Rose didn’t seem to mind, her dark blue winter coat was unbuttoned and contrasted beautifully with her red hair. Her pale, freckled skin was slightly rosy thanks to the wind. But she wasn’t shivering like Luisa was.

‘You could have just asked me to open the door, you know?’ Rose smiled, finally unlocking the car.

‘Aren’t you cold?’ Luisa said, her teeth clattering.

‘It isn’t really that cold yet. It’s obvious you’ve never spent a winter outside of the sunshine state.’ Rose laughed, turning the heater up.

‘Well, I still think the snow is nice,’ Luisa grumbled, rubbing her hands to get them to stop tingling.

‘Good, because you are about to see a lot more of it.’ Rose smiled, pulling the car out of the parking and back onto the interstate.

* * *

Once Luisa had warmed up enough, she took her secret revenge object out of her bag and hung it over the rearview mirror.

‘What is _that_?’ Rose questioned as she took in the incredibly tacky Santa decoration now hanging in the middle of their car.

‘It sings too,’ Luisa smirked, pressing the button on Santa’s belly. A static noise came vaguely resembling jingle bells came out.

‘Oh no,’ Rose groaned, her head falling down on the steering wheel, hitting the horn. Rose immediately sat back up, startled by the noise, Luisa just laughed.

‘Okay, you had your fun, now please take it off.’

‘No, I’m going to make you like Christmas. So better get used to the decorations.’

‘If you want me to like Christmas, you better take it down. Because it is only going to make me hate it more.’

‘Nope,’ Luisa said smugly. ‘It stays up.’ And she pressed the button again, singing along with jingle bells. Rose groaned but didn’t comment, she had apparently realized it was useless.

* * *

They drove in silence for a while, Luisa taking in the beauty of the landscape they were driving through; all the snow covered trees and cute villages.

‘You know there are about 123.000.000 cars driving down the US interstates at any time?’

‘So why haven’t we run in to any yet?’ Rose said, her eyebrow raised.

‘Because the interstate network is nearly 48000 miles long.’

‘That should still be about 2500 cars per mile,’ Rose said.

‘Impressive,’ Luisa said. ‘And it is probably because it is nearly Christmas and snowing.’

‘But you said _at any time,_ ’ Rose smiled,

‘It is just a random fact, Rose.’

‘Why do you even know it?’

‘I know lots of random facts. Did you know that 160 cars can drive next to each other on a road in Brazil?’

‘I do now. Did you know that the highest point of Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point of Colorado?’

‘No, I didn’t. Who knows random facts now?’

‘I never said I didn’t know _any_ random facts, I just said yours was wrong.’

* * *

They continued to one-up each other with random facts for a while, until the ‘check engine’ light blinked on.

‘Oh crap,’ Rose said, pulling the car to the side of the road.

‘What’s wrong?’ Luisa said, swallowing the last of her fruit roll-up.

‘The ‘check engine’ light just came on.’

‘Oh, I always just ignore that,’ Luisa said, taking a new piece of candy out of its package.

‘That does not surprise me,’ Rose sighed.

‘So what now?’ Luisa said, as Rose stopped the car on the side of the road.

‘We wait for one of the 123 million cars on the interstate to stop and give us the number of a local mechanic,’ Rose said, a small smile playing around her lips.

‘Very funny. I’m staying in the car if you don’t mind. It’s cold outside.’

‘Oh no, if I’m going to freeze out there, you’re going to freeze out there,’ Rose said, throwing Luisa her gloves.

Luisa momentarily debated staying in the car, but she was pretty sure Rose would literally drag her outside if she did. And that wouldn’t make things any better between them.

* * *

‘God, it is freezing out here,’ she said as another car passed them without stopping.

‘Well, you wanted to have the real snow experience,’ Rose said, her cheeks rosy from the cold and snowflakes stuck in her hair; she looked adorable.

‘Why are we even standing here? The engine works, we could just drive it to the nearest mechanic.’

‘It is dangerous. I am not going to get us blown up because you are cold.’

‘Well, if we get blown up it would at least be _warm,_ ’ Luisa said, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Rose looked at her with amusement. ‘Okay, this is just ridiculous,’ she grumbled as another car passed them by. ‘We are two beautiful women, they should stop and help us.’

‘You think I’m beautiful, too?’ Luisa smirked, getting revenge for her earlier blunder.

‘From a purely aesthetic point of view,’ Rose smirked back.

Luisa had momentarily forgotten the woman was a lawyer but didn’t care, Rose had called her beautiful too, and that was enough to warm her up a bit. ‘So what now? Because I think my ears are going to fall off.’

Rose looked at her with concern. ‘You didn’t bring a hat?’

‘There’s no need for a hat in Florida,’ Luisa said, trying to disappear into her coat.

Rose sighed and walked to the back of the car, rummaging around in her suitcase for a moment before throwing something at her.

‘Here. Put this on, we’re walking to the nearest village.’

Luisa stared at Rose with open mouth. ‘You want to _walk_ in this weather?’ she said, disbelieving.

‘It isn’t that far, I saw a sign a while back. We can call from there. Now put the hat on and walk.’

Luisa was about to protest but Rose had already started walking, and Luisa loathed staying behind all by herself to get eaten by a bear or something. She put on the hat, it was black and wooly and it smelled like Rose.

She jogged a bit to catch up to Rose, staying close to her just in case.

‘So, do you still like snow?’ Rose said after a while, blinking to get rid of the snow in her long lashes.

‘Yes, nothing is going to change that,’ Luisa grumbled, her mouth half obscured by a large scarf Rose had wordlessly handed to her a while back.

‘And here I thought almost freezing to death would change that,’ Rose said, smiling. She was still only wearing her gloves and her coat, which she had buttoned. The collar was also turned up. She looked much more elegant and comfortable than Luisa did in her abundance of clothes. She felt a bit like a marshmallow.

* * *

‘Oh, you have to be kidding me,’ Rose sighed, stopping suddenly, causing Luisa to crash into her.

‘What is it? Oh,’ Luisa said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she saw what Rose saw. A sign with ‘Xmas Trees, 1 mile’. ‘It truly is a Christmas miracle,’ she teased, elbowing Rose in the side.

‘They better have a phone,’ Rose grumbled, stomping on ahead.

Luisa couldn’t help herself and started singing Christmas carols, knowing it would annoy the hell out of Rose.

Rose let out another ridiculously loud sigh but she didn’t turn around to tell her to stop. Once they reached the tree plot, Luisa felt like an icicle. Luckily, the nice guy selling the Christmas trees made them hot cocoa while they waited for the tow truck to take them back to their car and then into the village.

Rose begrudgingly accepted the hot chocolate. Claiming to only drink it because she was a little chilly, but Luisa could have sworn she saw her smile a little as the tree guy told them about all the different kinds of Christmas trees.

‘So, what kind of tree are you two getting?’ he asked after a while.

‘Oh, she isn’t getting a tree. She _hates_ Christmas,’ Luisa smiled, teasing Rose put her in a good mood.

‘What? Who hates Christmas?’ the man said, the same disbelieving expression Luisa had worn earlier showing on his face.

‘I know right? Someone really needs to set her straight,’ Luisa smiled, ignoring the sharp look Rose was giving her.

* * *

Once the tow truck showed up, the kind man, who was called Frank, Luisa had learned, gave her a tiny Christmas tree, no taller than a foot, ‘to get her friend into the Christmas spirit’ he had said.

Luisa accepted the tiny tree, but told him it would take more than a Christmas tree to stop Rose from being the Grinch. Which earned her another glare from Rose.

The tow truck driver also insisted on singing along to every Christmas song on the radio, so he and Luisa did a duet of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ while Rose grumbled next to them.

Rose nearly fled from the car once they pulled into the garage.

‘Your girlfriend really doesn’t like Christmas, does she?’ Tom the tow truck driver remarked as he helped her out of the truck.

‘She isn’t my girlfriend and no, she really doesn’t,’ Luisa said, a small blush creeping into her cheeks.

‘Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just the way she was looking at you. I thought you two were together,’ Tom shrugged.

‘She was looking at me? How?’ Luisa said, she hadn’t noticed Rose looking at her.

‘I saw her smile a couple of times through the mirror. Just a second, before she schooled her features back into a frown. They were always directed at you. She might hate Christmas, but she likes you.’

Luisa stared at Tom, mouth gaping open. ‘You think so?’

Tom nodded. ‘Now let’s go see what’s wrong with your car.’

* * *

‘I can’t believe we’re going to have to wait an hour,’ Rose said, kicking at the snow in front of her.

‘It could have been worse. Tom said it is just a loose tube or something. I actually don’t remember what he said. But it is just a minor setback. We can go walk around town for a bit. Buy some Christmassy things,’ Luisa joked.

Rose was going to protest when she spotted something and her face lit up. ‘If you’re from Florida, have you ever been ice-skating?’ she asked, the biggest grin adorning her face.

‘No, I haven’t, why?’ Luisa said, a little suspicious of Rose’s sudden cheer.

‘Because I know how we’re going to spend this hour,’ Rose said, taking Luisa’s hand and dragging towards the ice-rink.

‘What? No! I’m not skating! No!’ Luisa yelped, but it was no use, Rose refused to let her go.

‘You need to go ice-skating at least once. It is part of your precious Christmas experience,’ Rose said, standing in line for the skate rental.

‘Rose, no, I will break something, I have the coordination of a newborn deer,’ Luisa complained, but it seemed Rose was determined to get her onto the ice.

‘Come on. It will be fun. You like fun, remember?’ Rose smiled, lacing up her own skates.

‘Fine,’ Luisa said, clumsily lacing up her own pair, refusing to take off her gloves. She stood up, almost falling over. Luckily Rose had been expecting that and caught her by the arms.

‘You aren’t even on the ice yet.’ Rose laughed, supporting Luisa as they walked/stumbled towards the ice. ‘You know how to walk on heels right? You must know, you’re tiny,’ Rose smiled.

‘I am not tiny,’ Luisa squeaked, almost falling over as they stepped onto the ice. ‘You’re just too damn tall,’ she said, her feet moving out from underneath her, if Rose hadn’t still been holding her hand, she would be flat on the ice right now.

‘Do you think you can move?’ Rose said, a kind smile lighting up her face. ‘Because the moving part is actually half the fun of skating.’

‘No, I don’t think I am ready for that,’ Luisa said, clutching Rose’s arm tightly, she was feeling unbalanced and clumsy.

‘Come on,’ Rose said, taking Luisa’s other hand, skating backwards as she pulled Luisa along.

Luisa kept her eyes firmly on her feet, watching them glide along the ice, because she didn’t want to give Rose the satisfaction of seeing her actually have fun.

‘See, you’re doing it. You’re skating!’ Rose laughed, speeding up a bit.

‘Don’t you dare let go of my hand,’ Luisa squeaked, feeling Rose pull away from her.

‘How else will you learn?’ Rose said, and Luisa really wished she would smile more, Rose looked beautiful when she smiled.

‘Rose!’ Luisa yelped as Rose let go of her hands completely and she immediately saw the ice coming at her with alarming speed.

‘I got you,’ Rose said, catching her before she hit the ice. Suddenly they were very close together, they’re bodies lined up perfectly. Luisa had to tilt her head all the way back to look Rose in the eyes. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. She was glad for the thick coat she was wearing, certain Rose would have felt her heart beat nearly out of her chest otherwise.

‘I don’t think you’re ready for this on your own after all,’ Rose smiled warmly at her. Taking Luisa’s hand in her own again, keeping her upright as they skated slow circles around the rink.

And for the first time that day, Luisa didn’t feel cold.

They skated for the whole hour, Rose occasionally letting go of her hands to test her balance. Which usually ended with Luisa almost falling on her ass if not for Rose’s speedy interference.

‘Do you trust me?’ Rose asked suddenly.

‘I don’t know. You haven’t killed me yet, so that’s probably a good sign,’ Luisa answered, no idea where Rose was going with this. But she knew she probably wouldn’t like it.

Rose just smiled, letting go of her hands. Luisa could immediately feel her feet sliding into opposite directions. But suddenly Rose’s steadying hands were back, on her waist this time.

Rose was standing behind her, Luisa turned her head to look at her. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked, her voice a little more breathy than she would have liked.

‘I’m going to push you. We’ll go faster that way,’ Rose smiled. ‘Going fast is the best part.’

‘I don’t think that is a good idea,’ Luisa said, covering Rose’s hands with her own as Rose started skating. She suddenly wished they weren’t wearing gloves so she could feel Rose’s soft skin underneath her own.

‘Rose!’ she yelped as they picked up speed, digging her fingers into Rose’s forearms.

‘It’s okay. I won’t let go,’ Rose said, smiling brightly.

Luisa had to admit it was nice, the find whooshing past her face, Rose’s hands on her hips, Rose’s breath on her cheek. It was nice.

As Rose slowed down a bit, her skate caught on some imperfection in the ice, sending her sprawling towards the cold, white slate. And as she was still holding Luisa, she pulled her down with her.

In some kind of weird twist, Rose ended up on her back, Luisa falling on top of her.

‘Oopf,’ Rose groaned, but her smile didn’t falter. She reached up to readjust Luisa’s hat. ‘Falling is also part of the fun,’ she said, Luisa felt her face burn as she realized just how close her lips were to Rose’s. ‘But let’s go pick up the car. We still have a long way to go before Thursday,’ Rose said, moving out from underneath her.

‘Before Christmas,’ Luisa corrected, accepting Rose’s hand regardless, she wouldn’t be able to get up otherwise.

‘Christmas then,’ Rose sighed, but her eyes were still sparkling.

Luisa kept holding Rose’s hand until she was safely sitting on a bench off the ice, and even then she only let go because Rose needed her hand back to untie her skates.

She really wanted to grab Rose’s hand as they walked back towards the garage, but she didn’t think that would be appreciated. No matter what Tom the tow truck guy said.

They were both laughing and joking as they walked through the door. Tom greeting them, pointedly staring at something above their heads.

‘What is it?’ Rose said as she looked up, immediately she groaned. ‘That wasn’t there before.’

‘What wasn’t there before? Oh…’ Luisa said, as she spotted the sprig of mistletoe above their heads. She looked at Tom, noticing the mischievous sparkle in his eye. He had planned this. So she stood up on her toes and quickly kissed Rose on the cheek.

Rose whipped her head around so fast Luisa was surprised she hadn’t heard a sonic boom.

‘It’s tradition,’ she smiled, pretending that nothing was wrong and that she hadn’t noticed Rose’s cheeks were no longer pink from just the cold.

Tom winked at her, cleaning his hands on a rag. ‘Well, you’re car is all done. Good as new really,’ he smiled, handing Rose the keys back.

Rose thanked him, and followed him to take care of the bill. Luisa could hear them arguing as Rose refused to accept the Christmas discount Tom was offering.

Luisa couldn’t hear who won, but if the smug smile on Rose's face was anything to go by, she assumed it was her.

‘Thank you for everything, Tom,’ Luisa said, pecking him lightly on the cheek as they passed underneath the mistletoe together. Rose having left the garage in front of them.

Tom smiled, blushing a little himself. ‘I am just glad I could help. Merry Christmas you two,’ he said, before leaning in to whisper something in Luisa’s ear. ‘She looks jealous,’ he said, subtly motioning to Rose, whose jaw was clenched, her earlier smile gone.

‘I think you might be right,' Luisa smiled. ‘Thank you again!’ she said, before getting into the car, waving at him as they drove away from the garage.

* * *

As they drove in silence, Luisa slowly started peeling off the layers she was wearing, but she kept the hat and the scarf, they smelled like Rose and she didn’t want to lose them.

‘Are you hungry?’ Luisa asked. ‘I’m hungry.’

‘We should really keep driving, or we won’t make it in time for _Christmas,_ ’ Rose said sourly.

 ‘That’s okay. I bought sandwiches when we stopped for chapstick,’ Luisa said smugly. Taking one out and breaking off a piece, offering it to Rose.

Rose took it and gingerly took a bite. Luisa tried to hide her smile as she saw Rose’s face change with recognition.

‘What’s on this sandwich?’ she asked, her eyes narrowing as she chewed.

‘It’s turkey with cranberry sauce. It’s the Christmas special,’ Luisa giggled, taking a bite of her own half. It did taste pretty good.

Rose looked at her, another unamused glance. ‘You are really pushing it, you know?’ she said, reaching out to sock Luisa in the shoulder.

‘Hey!’ Luisa said, rubbing her shoulder in faux hurt. ‘Do you want the rest of the sandwich or not?’

‘Yes,’ Rose grumbled, holding out her hand.

Luisa smiled, continuing to feed Rose all kinds of Christmassy foods as they drove through the snow. Luisa turned the radio up every time a Christmas carol she knew all the words to came on.

Rose grumbled every time she sang along loudly and out of tune, but Luisa caught her smiling once or twice. It was a small smile, and it disappeared as soon as she looked over, but it still made her feel giddy inside.

‘What are you doing?’ Luisa asked as Rose pulled off the highway.

‘We’re running low on gas. Which you get to pay for,’ Rose said triumphantly. ‘And I get to buy some food that is not shaped like a fir.’

‘Just call it a Christmas tree like a normal person,’ Luisa smiled.

‘I refuse,’ Rose smiled. ‘Do you want anything?’ she asked before she got out of the car.

‘Anything shaped like a Christmas tree or angel will do,’ Luisa teased.

Rose rolled her eyes and disappeared into the shop while Luisa filled the tank.

* * *

They ran into each other when Rose exited the store. ‘Here,’ she smiled, tossing Luisa an air freshener.

‘What is this?’ Luisa said, holding up the green tree in confusion.

‘You said anything shaped like a Christmas tree.’

‘You’re so funny,’ Luisa huffed, handing Rose the keys. ‘Here, I need to use the restroom.’

‘You trust me not to drive away?’ Rose joked.

‘I trust you do not want to be found dead in a car with Christmas decorations in it.’

‘True,’ Rose laughed, dashing through the snow, her red hair contrasting beautiful with the white of their surroundings.

Luisa paid for the gas. ‘Where’s your restroom?’ she asked the attendant.

‘Out back,’ he said, pointing over his shoulder.

Luisa nodded and thanked him, making her way towards the back door.

* * *

She decided to walk around the store instead of going through it on her way back to the car. She had been sitting still for hours now and she could use the exercise.

As she passed a picnic table, she could hear soft mewling coming from a box on top of it.

‘Hello,’ she said in a soft voice, reaching for the four kittens in the box. ‘What are you doing out here?’ she said, picking up a completely black one.

She laughed as it clawed at her sweater, making cute noises.

‘I found them by the side of the road. Can you believe these people?’ a gruff voice from behind her said.

‘Oh, hi,’ Luisa said, picking up another kitten, this one calico. ‘They are very cute,’ she smiled

‘Yes they are.’ the biker said, picking up two kittens of his own, they looked even smaller in his big hands. ‘Would you like one? I am looking for a good home for them. And you look like you would take good care of them. Just don’t let them outside. They might get lost’

‘I would love one. Thank you! I could use a tiny companion,’ Luisa smiled. ‘I think I would like this one,’ she said, holding up the tiny black kitten she had first picked up, she now noticed he had a white spot in the middle of his forehead.

‘That’s my favorite,’ the biker said.

‘Oh, I can pick a new one,’ Luisa said. ‘They’re all so cute.’

‘No, you take him. He likes you,’ he said, watching as the cat’s pink tongue darted out to lick her hand.

‘At least let me name him after you then,’ Luisa smiled. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Blade,’ the biker said, a warm smile on his face. ‘And I would like that,’ he said.

‘What about you Little Blade?’ Luisa said to the cat in her arms. ‘I think he likes it,’ she smiled as the kitten started purring loudly.

‘Well, then he’s yours. Take good care of him.’

‘I will. Thank you so much,’ Luisa said, just as Rose pulled the car alongside her.

‘Hey, are you coming?’ she yelled, the window rolled halfway down. ‘Oh, no. No. No!’ Rose said as she spotted the cat in Luisa’s arms. ‘No, we are not picking up strays. No.’

Blade looked at her with concern.

‘It’s okay, it might take some convincing but she’ll get over it,’ Luisa smiled. Thanking Blade again and stepped into the car with Rose.

‘Luisa, we are not taking a cat with us, give it back.’

‘Sorry, I can’t. I promised Blade I’d take good care of him. Didn’t I, Little Blade?’

‘Little Blade?’

‘It’s his name. He likes it. Look at him Rose, he’s so cute!’ Luisa said, shoving the kitten into Rose’s lap.

Luisa laughed as the kitten started to climb up Rose’s sweater, getting his nails caught in the fabric.

‘Luisa, get him off of me,’ Rose said, trying to remove the kitten with one hand. ‘What do you even need a cat for?’

‘It’s my Christmas present to myself,’ she said, taking the kitten back, stroking him fondly, Little Blade purring contently in her lap.

Rose didn’t respond, just shaking her head and keeping her eyes on the road.

Luisa played with Little Blade, sang along to more Christmas songs and continued to feed Rose Christmas themed foods she did not ask for.

Rose continued to pretend it annoyed her, but Luisa could see the corners of her eyes crinkle with amusement whenever Little Blade got himself in any sort of trouble.

* * *

‘Let’s find a Motel for the night,’ Luisa said, stroking Little Blade with one finger as he slept soundly in her lap. ‘You’ve been yawning for the past hour and the visibility is getting worse. I would rather not get into an accident,’ Luisa said, getting her whole argument out of the way before Rose could interrupt with some nonsensical comment about how she wasn’t tired.

‘Alright,’ Rose said, stifling another yawn.

‘That’s it? No argument about driving as much as we can before the roads get too bad?’

‘No, I think you are right. I’d rather not get us into an accident. And I need a break from all your Christmas stuff. Although, with the luck we’ve been having, we’re probably going to have to share a room.’

Luisa was happy it was dark in the car as it was impossible for Rose to see her blush.

As it turned out, Rose her cynicism hadn’t been misplaced, there really was only one room available at the motel. And to make it even worse, the room only had a queen size bed.

‘You can shower first if you want,’ Rose said, dropping her suitcase off at the foot of the bed. ‘As long as you don’t use up all the hot water,’ she added, laying down on the bed. Her sweater riding up to show off a bit of her toned stomach.

‘Great. Keep an eye on Little Blade for me,’ Luisa said, dropping the kitten on Rose’s side of the bed.

‘Oh no. I tolerated it in the car. I am not going to babysit your cat for you,’ Rose said, plucking the exploring kitten of the duvet and putting him in her lap so he wouldn’t get to far away.

‘But he likes you,’ Luisa cooed. ‘And it is just for the duration of my shower.’

‘You know, I’ve been doing you a lot of favors, and the only thing you’ve been doing is annoying me.’

‘It’s part of my charm,’ Luisa smiled, before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

When she came out twenty minutes later she found Rose asleep on the bed, Little Blade cradled in her arms, purring happily.

Luisa couldn’t help but think Rose looked adorable in sleep. She didn’t know if she should wake Rose and get a real dinner or let her sleep.

Luckily, Rose’s phone made that decision for her, Luisa fetched it off her nightstand before Rose was fully awake.

As she saw ‘mom’ bolded on the screen, and she answered. ‘Hello Mrs. Evans. Hi, yes, Luisa, we spoke earlier. No, Rose can’t come to the phone right now. She’s sleeping. Yes. I will tell her. No. No. Oh really?’

‘What are you doing?’ Rose questioned, putting Little Blade down on the bed as she stood up. ‘Give me my phone,’ she said, stalking towards Luisa.

‘It’s your mom,’ Luisa smiled before talking into the phone again. ‘Yes, she’s awake now,’ she said, handing Rose the phone.

Rose shot her a death glare and took the phone. ‘Hi mom. Yes. No. No!’ she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Luisa turned around, pretending she wasn’t listening.

‘No mom, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s not even my friend. We’re just two strangers sharing a car to Seattle as both our flights have been cancelled. It doesn’t matter if she’s single.’ Rose sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her eyes closed as she paced the room in evident frustration. ‘We are not talking about that over the phone. No, I am not stopping by for Christmas. We talked about this. I have to work. No, I did not schedule it like that on purpose,’ Rose lied, Luisa trying very hard not to laugh as that would give her away.

‘Yes, I love you too. I have to go now. Bye. No, no,’ Rose said, her eyes going wide. ‘Hey Denise…’ she said, Luisa hadn’t heard her sound this faux happy before.

‘Yeah, I really wish I could join you. But I have to work. No, I can’t. Yes. Tell Thomas I said hi. No, don’t give me mom again,’ Rose pleaded.

Luisa had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, Rose really wasn’t the strong, confident, slightly grumpy woman she had come to know when she was on the phone with her family.

‘Okay, I will see what I can do. Yes, I love you. I love dad too. Bye,’ Rose said, hanging up the phone and throwing it on the bed. ‘So let’s do dinner,’ she said, running a hand through her hair.

‘Don’t you want to get a shower?’ Luisa said, pretending she had not been listening in on Rose’s conversation with her mother.

‘Let’s do dinner first. I’m starving,’ Rose said, picking up her coat, throwing Luisa her scarf and hat.

Luisa shrugged, tickling Little Blade’s belly before dressing up to brave the cold once again.

* * *

Once they got outside, Luisa itched to reach out and take Rose’s hand. The redhead looked like she could use a little contact, she obviously wasn’t completely there with her thoughts. She momentarily debated to fake slipping on some icy patch of snow to get Rose to catch her again, but she doubted Rose would fall for it, preoccupied or not.

They came across a diner that advertised great Christmas pies, and it seemed that Rose was too tired to argue because she just followed Luisa inside.

As they placed their orders, they were suddenly surrounded by an awkward silence, which was strange as that hadn’t happened yet today.

‘Your mother asked you if you would come and celebrate Christmas with them again, didn’t she?’ Luisa said, toying with the straw in her drink.

‘Yeah, so did Denise. I don’t understand why, they know I don’t like Christmas and it is not like I never see them.’

‘Maybe they just don’t want you to be alone,’ Luisa said softly, her eyes carefully meeting Rose’s, afraid she might have crossed some sort of line.

‘But I am not alone. I’ll be at work, with my colleagues.’

‘That’s different. You can see why that’s different right?’ Luisa said,

‘No, I don’t,’ Rose said defiantly, her tone and the look in her eyes not matching up.

‘Suit yourself. I just think it’s nice they care about you and want you to be with them.’

Rose didn’t answer, instead opting to stare straight ahead.

Luisa sighed, wishing there was a way to get the fun, laughing and smiling Rose from that afternoon back.

When the awkward silence became too much for Luisa to bear, their food arrived, making it a little less awkward.

They ate in silence, Rose stabbing at her salad like it had played Christmas songs in her direct vicinity all day.

About halfway through their meal, she could see Rose tense as she stared at something behind her back.

‘Maybe you can just point it out on the menu,’ the waitress sighed, looking between the two men at the table, who were making rapid movements with their hands, their facial expressions just as lost as the waitress’s.

‘Excuse me,’ Rose said, making the waitress turn towards her. Her hands started to fly, the two men smiling in relief as they signed back.

‘That man would like a steak, medium rare,’ Rose translated, her hands still moving. ‘And his friend would like a hamburger with fries. And a milkshake,’ she smiled.

Both men were now smiling widely at her, repeating a gesture even Luisa could translate to mean ‘thank you’.

Luisa had watched the whole exchange in stunned amazement. Once Rose’s hands stopped moving and she switched her attention back to her food, Luisa spoke.

‘How come you know sign language?’ she asked, spearing a tomato on her fork.

‘My father’s deaf,’ Rose said, her eyes soft.

‘I did not know that,’ Luisa said.

‘Why would you? Until this morning you didn’t know me at all,’ Rose said, a small smile still playing around her lips. She looked more at ease now, less tense and bothered by her thoughts.

‘True,’ Luisa smiled. ‘But I am glad I met you.’

‘Really? All we’ve done is bicker.’ Rose laughed and Luisa immediately felt better.

‘That is because you are basically the Grinch. You seem to be allergic to fun.’

‘I am not allergic to fun,’ Rose huffed playfully. ‘You’re definition of fun just involves way more Christmas stuff than mine.’

‘Well, then you’re definition of fun is wrong,’ Luisa teased.

‘Maybe it’s your definition that’s wrong.’

‘It’s not. Everybody loves Christmas.’

‘Except me.’

‘Except you, but I believe I can change that. I mean, I already got you a Christmas tree, a turkey sandwich and Christmas cookies.’ Luisa smiled.

‘That was all against my will,’ Rose said, pushing her empty plate away from her, her eyes shining with amusement.

‘You took me skating against _my_ will,’ Luisa shot back.

‘You had fun.’

‘I have bruises, Rose, bruises!’

‘That’s ridiculous, I broke your fall,’ Rose smiled. ‘So, do you want to go straight back to the motel or do you want to grab a drink or something?’ Rose said, waving the waitress over to settle their bill.

‘Well…’ Luisa started, suddenly feeling awkward again. ‘I don’t really drink anymore. I used to drink. A lot. But I’m doing better now,’ she said, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

‘I’m sorry I brought it up,’ Rose said, leaning across the table to briefly touch Luisa’s wrist. Luisa could feel the warmth of her fingers linger long after Rose’s had removed them. ‘We can go back to the motel then, make sure Little Blade hasn’t ruined the room yet.’

‘You can still grab a drink if you want. Don’t let me stop you.’

‘No, it’s okay. You’re stuck with me now. If you’re not going, I’m not going,’ Rose said, offering a supportive smile. ‘Besides, we could both use a good night’s rest, we have a lot of driving to do if you want to make Seattle before Christmas.’

Luisa smiled, then she suddenly remembered they were going to have to share a bed, and she blushed.

* * *

As they made their way back to the motel, Rose’s hand kept brushing against her own in a very distracting way. Luisa had to mentally stop herself from reaching out and just lacing their fingers together.

‘I think I’ll take that shower now,’ Rose smiled, bending over her suitcase as she searched through it.

Luisa swallowed hard as tried to tear her eyes away from Rose’s really nice ass in her very tight jeans. She looked away just as Rose turned around, avoiding getting caught by just a second.

‘Yeah, that’s fine,’ Luisa said, hoping she wasn’t as red as she felt. ‘I’ll just play with Little Blade here,’ she cooed as she picked up the kitten that was winding its way around her legs.

Rose smiled briefly at the kitten. ‘He’s cute, I’ll give you that. And he hasn’t scratched me yet so that’s a plus,’ she said before closing the bathroom door behind her.

As soon as Luisa heard the shower running, she collapsed backwards onto the bed, cradling Little Blade to her chest.

‘Yes, she’s very pretty. Yes, I’m attracted to her. But once we reach Seattle, I’ll never see her again. I know, sucks right?’ she whispered to the kitten, stroking his ears softly. ‘But she’s so amazing. And I really want to kiss her, you know? Even if it is just once. She’s just really great,’ Luisa continued, absentmindedly petting the cat. Playing through everything she knew about Rose in her head, her imagination filling in the rest.

* * *

It pleased her to note that Rose was indeed the kind of person to take long showers as her imagination had supplied so helpfully earlier in the evening. It took Rose forty minutes to leave the bathroom, Luisa had already changed into her pajamas and was reading through an information booklet she’d found in the nightstand by the time she came out.

Luisa looked up from ’20 Things You Must Do While in the Area’ and laughed. Rose’s hair, still damp from the shower, had transformed itself from the masterfully styled curls into a mess of crinkles and small, frizzy red ringlets.

‘You don’t happen to have a curling iron with you, do you?’ Rose sighed, running a towel through her hair, making the mess even worse.

‘I do not. No,’ Luisa said. ‘But you don’t need it. Your hair looks fine,’ Luisa smiled, sincerely meaning it. Rose looked more laid back and less like a severe lawyer now her hair wasn’t perfectly styled.

‘Luisa, it’s a mess,’ Rose said, an eyebrow raised as she gauged how sincere Luisa was being.

‘A cute mess,’ Luisa said, turning red as soon as the words left her mouth.

‘Well, thank you,’ Rose said, her cheeks as red as her hair.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as Rose put away her shower stuff and turned back the blanket to crawl in next to Luisa.

Both of them were completely aware of the very small space between them. Luisa picked Little Blade off her chest and putting him in between them to act as a sort of buffer.

‘Well, goodnight,’ Luisa said, turning off her bedside lamp.

‘Night,’ Rose said, doing the same and plunging the room into darkness.

Luisa reached out to pet the kitten, who was completely invisible in the dark.

The cat had apparently grown on Rose in the short time they’d spend together, as their hands occasionally brushed as they both patted Little Blade.

* * *

Luisa didn’t know which one of them fell asleep first, or who laced their hands together. But when she awoke the following morning, they had both turned on their sides, their faces inches from each other and their fingers intertwined.

Luisa knew she should pull away, it was kind of creepy to stare at someone while they slept, but Rose was just so beautiful. Her red hair, although still frizzy, was fanned around her like a halo. And in the light shining through the curtains she could see the swatch of freckles across Rose’s nose and cheeks. Luisa tried to count them, wanting to commit each one to memory, she got to 56 when Rose blinked and their eyes met.

‘Hey,’ Rose said sleepily, her eyes still a little unfocused. ‘Have you been up long? she asked, stretching out her arms and legs, releasing her hold on Luisa’s hand without commenting on it.

‘No, just woke up,’ Luisa lied, turning onto her back so Rose couldn’t see her blush at being caught staring.

‘Do you know what time it is?’ Rose said, her voice still a little rough from sleep.

‘Ah, let’s see,’ Luisa said, picking her phone off the nightstand. ‘Seven thirty,’ she said.

‘We should get going,’ Rose said. ‘We have a lot of miles to cover if we want to make it to Seattle before tomorrow morning 9 AM.’

‘Why nine AM?’ Luisa asked, following Rose’s example and sitting up.

‘Because that’s when I have to be at work,’ Rose smiled, searching through her suitcase for something clean to wear.

‘I still can’t believe you’re working on Christmas.’

‘And _I_ still can’t believe that you haven’t given up on trying to convince me to like Christmas,’ Rose said, pulling her sleep shirt over her head. Her back was facing Luisa, but she still felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She could see the countless freckles covering Rose’s shoulders and the muscles moving under her skin as she put on her bra, slipping a green sweater on top of it.

Luisa, knowing she had been staring again, turned around to get dressed herself.

She heard Rose groan in frustration behind her and turned around, wearing only her bra and jeans. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, oblivious to her own state of undress.

Rose wasn’t. Her eyes were fixed a little lower than her face, a blush coloring her cheeks.

‘It’s – my hair,’ she said, lifting her gaze up from Luisa’s cleavage. ‘It’s a mess and there is nothing I can do about it,’ she said, obviously struggling to keep her eyes trained on Luisa’s face.

Luisa, noticing this, wanted to have a little fun. She lifted her arm and arched her back, pushing her breasts forwards. Watching Rose swallow hard. ‘It looks fine. I could braid it for you, if you want.’

‘No, that’s not necessary,’ Rose said. ‘You should finish dressing,’ she said, turning around.

‘Right. Of course,’ Luisa smiled, there may have been some truth to Frank’s statement that Rose liked her. She really had been having trouble with keeping her eyes off her boobs, which Luisa understood, she’d been looking at Rose’s breasts a lot more than was appropriate.

‘Wait,’ Rose said suddenly, pausing mid movement. ‘Where’s Little Blade?’

Luisa’s eyes went wide, she had been so busy staring at Rose that she hadn’t noticed the kitten wasn’t where she’d left it the night before.   

‘Shit,’ she cursed, dropping to her knees. ‘He couldn’t have gotten out. All the doors and windows are closed.’

Rose nodded, following Luisa’s lead and dropping to the floor, checking under the bed and the chairs.

They both started calling out his name, knowing fully well it was futile as cats didn’t really respond to their names.

‘Luisa. Look,’ Rose said suddenly, a smile stretched across her face as she nudged Luisa softly. Luisa turned her gaze to the spot Rose was staring at on top of the closet.

A tiny black paw was hanging over the edge.

Rose reached up on her toes to get him out of his hiding place, cradling him in her arms as she brought him down. ‘Why were you up there, huh?’ Rose cooed, tickling him under his chin. ‘Do you like watching things from above?’

‘Well, he does already have a vigilante name. And the black outfit,’ Luisa smiled, stroking the kitten’s belly as he purred in Rose’s arms.

‘Well, I’m glad we found him,’ Rose said, shoving the cat into Luisa’s arms as she combed a hand through her hair. Sighing in annoyance as her hand got caught in the tangle that was her hair. She rummaged around her bag for a minute, pulling out an elastic and tying her wild hair back in a messy ponytail. ‘There. That will have to do,’ she huffed. ‘Now let’s get going. Wouldn’t want you to miss Christmas.’

Luisa nodded, closing her suitcase, holding Little Blade awkwardly in her arms as she tried to lift it up.

‘Let me,’ Rose said, lifting Luisa’s suitcase with her other hand.

‘Thanks,’ Luisa said, opening the door for Rose, it was the least she could do.

* * *

It wasn’t long before they were back on the road, the world waking up around them.

Luisa had forgone her Christmas carols in order to spare Rose, but the redhead seemed more agitated than she had yesterday when it had been Luisa’s mission to annoy the hell out of her. So after an hour or so, she reached over and turned the radio back on, it didn’t take her long to find another Christmas station.

‘Please, I thought we were finally done with the Christmas music,’ Rose said, pretending to be annoyed, but Luisa could actually see her shoulders relax. It seemed Rose enjoyed bickering with her more than she enjoyed the silence.

‘You know, I actually think they’re starting to grow on you.’ Luisa grinned. ‘Just like Little Blade here grew on you,’ she said, holding the little black kitten up for Rose to see.

‘I like cats,’ Rose said defensively. ‘But I don’t like Christmas.’

‘You have these Christmas carols sung by cats. It is literally cats meowing to the tune of a carol. It’s cute,’ Luisa smiled.

‘That sounds horrible,’ Rose said, a small smile playing around her lips. 

‘It is. But it is so fun!’ Luisa laughed.

Rose shook her head and continued driving, seemingly a lot happier. Luisa kept singing along with the songs, and once or twice she could have sworn she heard Rose hum along.

* * *

When the time came to break for lunch, Rose insisted on stopping. Much to Luisa’s surprise. When she asked her about it, Rose shrugged and told her she could use a break.

Luisa offered to drive but Rose just looked at her with an amused expression. ‘You’re from Florida, I’m assuming you’ve never driven in the snow before. I think it would be better if I drove.’

‘Fine,’ Luisa grumbled, feeling strangely inadequate.

Rose laughed as she took in Luisa’s upset expression.

‘If we had the time to drive slowly, I’d let you drive. But we don’t, we both have places to be and things to do. So don’t take this personally. I’m sure you’d rather get rid of me so you can sing Christmas carols without me frowning in the corner.’

Luisa chewed slowly on the inside of her cheek, she would really rather celebrate Christmas with Rose frowning in the corner, because that meant that she’d at least be able to see her. Because suddenly she realized that once they arrived, she’d never see Rose again. And the thought made her sad.

‘Well, it would be fun to be able to use the word ‘Christmas’ without you rolling your eyes,’ Luisa said meekly, not really believing what she was saying. ‘You drive then.’

* * *

They stopped for lunch in a little town called ‘Mistletoe’. Rose initially wanted to keep driving, saying that it was too much for her and she’d never be able to keep it together long enough to order lunch. But Luisa convinced her to stop by bribing her with chocolate, which she had learned was Rose’s favorite some time before.

Luisa dragged Rose into a diner that advertised the state’s greatest pie, so naturally Luisa wanted to eat there. Rose followed her with only mild eye rolling and muttering.

Luisa kept darting back to the car to check on Little Blade who they had to leave in the car. On her way back to the restaurant, her phone rang.

Her heart fell as she read the name on her screen. There was only one reason Rafael would be calling her, and it wasn’t good.

‘Raf, hey…’ she started off.

* * *

When Rose came looking for her ten minutes later, Luisa was sitting on the edge of a frozen over fountain, crying.

‘Luisa, hey. The food’s ready,’ Rose said as she approached, not yet seeing her tear stained cheeks. ‘What happened?’ she asked as she finally noticed the tears. ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’ she asked, sitting down next to Luisa, wrapping her arm around the crying woman’s heaving shoulders.

‘My brother called,’ Luisa hiccupped, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. ‘He isn’t coming. He and his girlfriend would rather stay in the Caribbean.’

‘And your dad?’ Rose asked, her hand rubbing soothing circles on Luisa’s back, seemingly of its own accord.

‘If Raf isn’t coming, he’d rather keep working. Seattle is too far out of his way. So he won’t be coming either.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Rose said, genuine sympathy in her voice. ‘That sucks, I know how much Christmas means to you.’

‘I’ll be all alone…’ Luisa said, feeling more tears well up.

Rose was silent for a moment before shaking her head. ‘No, no you won’t be.’

Luisa stared at her in confusion, her eyes shining with more unshed tears. ‘What do you mean?’

Rose took a deep breath. ‘Christmas is too important for you to spend it in some hotel room alone. So, if you want…’ Rose said, staring at the ground, obviously gathering courage for something. ‘You can spend it with me and my family. I mean we’re already two/thirds of the way to Seattle. And my mother would be thrilled,’ she said softly, finally looking up to meet Luisa’s eyes.

Luisa, uncertain how to react, did the only thing she could think of: she leaned in and captured Rose’s lips with her own.

Rose tensed for a second before kissing back, her hands moving to Luisa’s hips to pull her closer. They kissed until the need for air became too desperate to ignore.

Luisa slowly pulled away, her eyes blinking open. Her face was inches from Rose’s, who was breathing hard, her eyes still closed.

‘I’ll take that as a yes then,’ Rose said, smiling prettily as her eyes blinked open slowly.

‘Yes, I’ll gladly spend Christmas with you. But do you want to spend Christmas with me?’ Luisa asked, bringing her hand up to stroke Rose’s cheek, not quite believing she could do that now.

‘I think spending Christmas with you is the only way I would ever want to celebrate it,’ Rose smiled, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss.

‘You know, every time you started singing those stupid Christmas carols I wanted to kiss you to shut you up?’ Rose smiled, her eyes focused firmly on Luisa’s.

‘I was hoping you would,’ Luisa breathed, pecking Rose softly on the lips before standing up. ‘You said something about our food being ready?’ Luisa smiled, offering her hand to Rose. Her brother and father already forgotten.

‘Yes, I did,’ Rose smiled, eagerly taking Luisa’s hand. ‘Let’s eat while I work up the nerve to call my mother to tell her we’re coming over to celebrate Christmas.’

‘You do that,’ Luisa smiled, firmly holding onto Rose’s hand, she was certain she was never going to let go.

The hostess looked at them strangely when they arrived back, holding hands and generally standing much closer together than they had before.

While they ate, Luisa recounted the tales of Tom and Frank and how they had both thought they were together. Their legs occasionally bumping together as they finished their meals.

While they waited for dessert, Luisa had convinced Rose to share a piece of cherry pie with her, Rose called her mother, thrusting the phone towards Luisa as her mother picked up.

Luisa gave her an unamused look but answered anyway.

‘Hi Mrs. Evans. Yes, hi, it’s Luisa again. Rose asked me to let you know that she will be joining you for Christmas after all. And she’s bringing a guest. Yes, it’s me.’ Luisa laughed, responding to something Rose’s mother said while Rose watched her with badly hidden nerves.

‘She’s says she’s happy you’re coming and that you shouldn’t lie about having a girlfriend, she knew right from the start.’ Luisa smiled as she hung up the phone and handed it back to Rose.

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes, spearing a piece of pie on her fork, offering it to Luisa, who rose out of her seat to take it.

As Luisa paid their bill, leaving a big tip for their waitress for being so understanding of their random break outside, Rose called her boss to ask for Christmas off.

Luisa didn’t exactly hear what was being said, but the gist of it was that Rose’s boss was happy to give her the holiday off, as Rose needed to, and this part was verbatim ‘get over herself and celebrate Christmas like a normal person’.

* * *

Once they got outside, Rose pulled Luisa close and kissed her again, her hands tangling in Luisa’s hair, as the snow fell softly around them, making the whole thing seem even more like a fairytale than it already was.

‘So, let’s go, lots of driving to do before we can celebrate _Christmas,_ ’ Rose said, pulling a face as she said the last word, but the smile she was sporting made it hard for Luisa to take her annoyance seriously.

‘I’m going to make you sing Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer next time it comes on. I know you know the words.’

‘I do not,’ Rose said defensively, crossing her arms.

‘Yes you do. I saw your lips moving last time,’ Luisa smiled, lacing her fingers between Rose’s as they walked to their car.

They found Little Blade happily snoozing in the back seat underneath the small Christmas tree, the little kitten apparently not having noticed their absence.

‘Hey, do you still have the air-freshener you bought at that gas station yesterday?’ Luisa asked as she put on her seatbelt.

‘Yes, why?’ Rose asked, reaching into her pocket to pull it out.

‘Because it will make a lovely tree ornament,’ Luisa grinned, hanging the tiny tree into the slightly bigger tree.

Rose shaking her head, pretending to be unamused, as she always did when Luisa did something she deemed ‘Christmassy’.

As they drove out of the city, Luisa suddenly burst out laughing.

‘What is it?’ Rose asked.

‘You know, we just kissed in _Mistletoe,_ ’ Luisa laughed, suddenly realizing the irony of that.

Rose groaned. ‘The universe is conspiring against me. And if you want me to kiss you again, you better keep that information to yourself,’ Rose warned.

‘Yeah, seems like it,’ Luisa smiled, pressing a kiss to the back of Rose’s hand. ‘And you wouldn’t dare.’

‘I so would,’ Rose smiled.

* * *

The rest of the drive was spent in pretty much the same way their previous hours on the road together had gone: Luisa put on Christmas music to sing along to, Rose pretended to hate it, frowning and sighing the whole time, but secretly smiling as Luisa sang loudly and off key. The difference was there was a lot more casual touching than before.

Their hands lay intertwined on the center console, Luisa rested her hand on Rose’s knee, squeezing it softly to get Rose to do a duet with her. Rose occasionally looked over and tucked a strand of hair behind Luisa’s ear if she was being nice and pulled her hat over her eyes when she was being too ‘Christmassy’ for her tastes.

It was all very familiar and comfortable and it was strange for both of them that they had only known each other for barely 24 hours, only thrust together by circumstance and bad fortune.

Rose decided that they should keep driving until they reached Seattle, by her estimate, it would take them less than four hours to reach the city. Meaning they would probably arrive at three in the morning. Giving them a few hours of sleep before Rose’s mother had pretty much ordered them to be at their house.

‘So, do you want me to drop you off at your hotel to pick you up in a few hours?’ Rose said, albeit reluctantly, her hand firmly holding on to Luisa’s.

‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’ Luisa smiled, squeezing Rose’s hand.

‘Not at all. I just thought you might rather have some time by yourself to reconsider meeting my family tomorrow,’ Rose said, not meeting her eyes, opting instead to stare straight ahead.

‘Rose, I’ll only go if you want me too. It is _very_ early for me to meet your family. We can just go as friends…’ Luisa said, feeling a pang in her chest as she said it.

‘No, no,’ Rose said, shaking her head for emphasis. ‘I don’t want to introduce you as just a friend. You’re way too good a kisser to be just a friend,’ she smirked, and Luisa felt the strain on her heart ease a bit. ‘And I know it is soon, that’s why I wanted to give you some time before inviting you over for the night,’ she smiled nervously.

‘I’d gladly stay the night at your place. I’ve you’d have me,’ Luisa smiled.

‘I think I can put up with your bubbly, Christmassy spirit for a little longer,’ Rose teased.

‘Don’t lie. You’d miss me,’ Luisa grinned.

‘It isn’t as much you as it is Little Blade, that cat is really adorable,’ Rose smiled, meeting Luisa’s eyes through the mirror.

Luisa narrowed her eyes and punched Rose softly in the shoulder.

Rose just laughed and returned her focus to driving.

* * *

Luisa slept the last two hours of their journey, curled up beneath her own and Rose’s coat, her hand still resting on Rose’s knee.

She woke up just as Rose pulled up alongside an apartment building. ‘This is me,’ she said softly, gently stroking the hair away from Luisa’s face, not wanting to startle the brunette as she woke up.

‘What time is it?’ Luisa asked, her eyes struggling to keep open.

‘Three thirty,’ Rose said, unbuckling her seatbelt. ‘The weather got spotty and I had to slow down a bit. But we’re here now.’

‘Good. I am _very_ tired, and I can only imagine how you must be feeling,’ Luisa yawned.

‘So I’ll save the grand tour of my one bedroom apartment for tomorrow then?’ Rose joked, taking her coat back from Luisa before exiting the car.

Luisa was in for a shock when she exited the car, Seattle in the middle of the night was _cold_ , colder than anything she’d ever experienced.

‘Jesus Christ it is cold,’ she cursed, pressing Little Blade closer against her.

‘I know. Let’s go inside,’ Rose said, taking Luisa’s hand and dragging her towards the front door.

Luisa didn’t have the energy or the presence of mind to look around Rose’s apartment. Rose just took her to the bedroom and helped her undress, it wasn’t sexual, just comfortable, both of them too tired to do much more than crawl underneath the sheets and fall asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

Luisa couldn’t tell which one of them was more nervous as they approached the front steps of the house of Rose’s parents.

Rose took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell, reaching for Luisa’s gloved hand as they waited. Luisa saw a red light blink inside through the glass of the door.

‘It’s for my dad,’ Rose explained as she saw her looking at it in confusion. ‘So he knows when to open the door when no one else is home.’

‘Right,’ Luisa said, suddenly remembering Rose’s father was deaf.

A young woman opened the door, from all the information she’d gotten over the past two days, she extrapolated that it must be Rose’s younger sister, Denise.

Denise didn’t look like Rose at all, she was shorter and her hair was blonde instead of Rose’s beautiful red, they did have the same intense blue eyes.

‘Rose! You actually made it!’ Denise said, wrapping her big sister up in a bone-crushing hug.

Hey, Dennee,’ Rose smiled, not sounding at all like she had on the phone yesterday as she returning the hug. ‘This is Luisa,’ she said, shoving the brunette forwards.

‘So you are the mysterious stranger who got Rose to come home for Christmas,’ Denise said, seizing her up for a moment before wrapping her in the same crushing hug she had given her sister. ‘You must really be something. She hasn’t been here for _years_. And you’ve known her for what? Two days? And you did it!’

‘Dennee…’ Rose said. ‘Can we continue this interrogation inside? It’s freezing.’

‘Yeah, of course. Mom and dad will be very happy to see you two, they’re in the kitchen,’ Denise said, letting Rose and Luisa pass.

As they hung up their coats, Rose leaned in and whispered something in her ear. ‘When speaking with my father, just face him directly and speak clearly, not loudly, just like you normally would, he lip-reads.’

Luisa nodded, standing on her toes to quickly peck Rose on the cheek. ‘Let’s go,’ she smiled. Rose smiling back warmly.

Luisa followed Rose into the kitchen, noticing all the photographs and knickknacks around. It was nothing like her own home growing up, mostly because she had spent most of her youth in various hotel rooms. Rose’s parents’ house looked warm and welcoming, exactly the kind of home she expected the woman she’d spoken with over the phone to live in.

‘Mom, hey,’ Rose said.

Rose’s mother was a graceful woman, who had clearly been very beautiful in youth, her graying blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had a smudge of flour on her cheek. Rose had inherited her bone structure. Her blue eyes were soft and warm as she took in her eldest daughter. Luisa recognized the look as the one Rose sometimes gave her when she thought Luisa wasn’t looking.

‘Rose,’ she said, a smile breaking across her face as she put her hand on the arm of the man next to her, obviously Rose’s father, so he too would turn around.

As he saw Rose, his eyes light up and he started signing at a rapid speed.

Rose signed back, translating for Luisa’s benefit. ‘He’s happy to see me and says I should visit more often. And that you are very beautiful and that he already loves you for making me come home,’ Rose said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. Luisa feeling her own burn as well.

Rose’s father took a step forwards and wrapped his daughter up in a hug, Luisa suddenly realized where Denise learned that.

Rose’s father was a big man with a head full of gray curls. Luisa assumed they had once been as vibrantly red as Rose’s own, because she definitely recognized those curls as the ones Rose had been sporting until she took a curling iron to them this morning.

‘Hi dad,’ Rose said, as her father pulled back enough to read her lips.

Rose’s mom immediately stepped in to take her husband’s place and hug her daughter.

‘You must be Luisa,’ Rose’s mother said, accompanying her speech with signs like it was her second nature, which Luisa assumed it actually was. ‘I’m Nora, this is Sam,’ she said, motioning to her husband with her head. ‘We’re very glad to have you.’

‘I’m glad to be here. You have a lovely home,’ Luisa said, making sure Sam could see her face.

‘Thank you, dear,’ Nora said. ‘Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to give you a hug as well. You’re the one who got Rose home for Christmas after all.’

‘Sure,’ Luisa smiled. ‘You’re both nice enough to open your home to me on Christmas, you can have all the hugs you want.’

Sam signed something, Rose translating. ‘He said he _really_ likes you now,’ Rose managed to get out just before Sam enveloped Luisa in a big bear hug.  

After the introduction, Luisa felt a little more at ease. Rose’s family was easy going and lovely, nothing at all like her own messed-up family. Luisa could see Rose relax too, she hadn’t been 100% certain why Rose was nervous in the first place, but as the hours passed Rose started to smile more, and talk more. Her hands automatically accompanying her as she spoke.

* * *

As it slowly got dark, Luisa learned a lot about the Evans’, Sam had been deaf since birth, he and Nora had met in college, where he bumped into while carrying a cup of coffee, some shouting and frantic signing had occurred, but they ended up on a date anyway, albeit a date chaperoned by one of Sam’s hearing friends who could translate sign for Nora. So after that, Nora started taking sign classes of her own so they could go on an unchaperoned date. And then a lot of time went by and Rose was born.

‘She could sign before she could talk,’ Sam signed proudly, Denise translating as Rose had her mouth full. It was second nature to the whole family to translate everything Sam signed, and to speak and sign themselves. It felt comfortable and not awkward in the least, although Luisa did wish she could do without the translating. But Thomas, Denise’s husband wasn’t a strong signer himself, still learning he said as he moved his hands sluggishly to accompany his words. So the women would have still needed to speak anyway.

Luisa also learned where Denise’s nickname came from, which the whole family seemed to be using except Thomas, because Denise claimed she hated it. Rose smiled teasingly as she explained to Luisa that Denise hadn’t been able to say her own name correctly until she was four, always leaving the ‘se’ off.

When the questions turned to Luisa, she was momentarily afraid she was going to have to talk about her family, which would definitely ruin her good mood, so she was happy when Sam asked for the story how she and Rose met. Nora had relayed what she’d learned over the phone to him, but most of it was still a mystery.

So Luisa explained how her flight had been oversold and Rose had been a bitch and tried to steal the last rental car in the whole state.

‘I’m not translating that,’ Rose said, kicking Luisa under the table as she called her an ice cold bitch. But she was still smiling, so Luisa knew she didn’t take offence.

‘No need, dear,’ Nora translated. ‘I read her lips. So how did you go from ‘ice cold bitch’ to sitting her at our table for Christmas dinner?’ Sam said, wide smile on his face.

Rose narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her dad, the incredibly childish gesture made Luisa smile even wider.

‘Well, there was some car trouble, a cat, and a shared motel room involved.’

‘That sounds interesting. Do tell,’ Nora smiled.

And Luisa did, giving a brief recap of their adventures over the past couple of days, leaving out her own longing for the woman next to her and just focusing on the fun stuff they did before they kissed each other in Mistletoe, once Luisa learned she would have to celebrate Christmas alone.

‘That’s so romantic,’ Denise teased, ignoring the look Rose was giving her. ‘You’re such a sap, Rose.’

‘I am not,’ Rose grumbled. ‘I didn’t want to come here in the first place.’

‘But you did, because you knew it would make Luisa happy,’ Nora said, Sam nodding along.

Rose looked over to her, her eyes soft.

‘It does make me happy. Merry Christmas,’ Luisa said, pressing a quick kiss to Rose’s lips, making her blush a pretty pink.

‘Merry Christmas!’ Denise laughed.

‘Merry Christmas,’ Thomas said, leaning over to peck his wife on the cheek.

‘Merry Christmas,’ Nora said, smiling widely.

‘Merry Christmas,’ Sam signed, it was one of the signs Sam had taught her over the course of the day.

Then all eyes were on Rose, who was still blushing furiously.

Luisa looked at her, squeezing her hand encouragingly.

Rose took a deep breath. ‘Merry Christmas,’ she said, a smile playing around her lips as her family laughed and applauded.

‘Best Christmas ever,’ Luisa whispered. 

‘I think I’d have to agree,’ Rose laughed.

~The End~

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading! And I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr: [writersblockisabitch](http://www.writersblockisabitch.tumblr.com) or you can leave me a comment right here! Which you should totally do because they make me very happy, and I write more when I am happy.


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